Line-up:
Sara Dowling – voice
Liam Dunachie – piano
Dario Di Lecce – bass
Steve Brown – drums
Sara Dowling is a jazz singer who is deeply inspired by the repertoire of the classic American songbook, her most important influences are Sarah Vaughan and Betty Carter. And yet, as the clubs who have been booking her regularly in and over the past couple of years – Ronnie Scott’s, the 606 and the Cinnamon Club – have spotted, there really is something different, special and fresh about her. And that she makes audiences want to come back to hear her again. It is not her heritage, although that is unusual: she was born in Muscat / Oman with Jordanian and Irish parents. Nor is it her first career: as a professional cellist. So what is it? First, the fabulous fearlessness with which she approaches the act of singing. And the burning conviction, the irresistible communicative power and jaw-dropping musicality she brings to it. She trusts her voice and its range of timbre and her ability both to convey the emotion of very slow ballads – or to bring joy as she rip-roars and scats through faster songs. And above all she makes a wonderful connection both to the music and to the audience. As Guy Barker has said: “Her voice has all the qualities that you find in the great singers.
Sara was voted best vocalist for the British Jazz Awards 2019 and often guests with the Ronnie Scott’s All Star Band.
Ian Shaw said: “Rarely does a jazz singer grace our scene with such breathtaking authenticity and natural flair. Dowling is this thing.”
Sara has performed in some of the UK’s most prestigious jazz venues and Festivals (Ronnie Scott’s, 606, Buxton International Festival, Swanage Jazz Festival) as well as abroad in countries like Italy (Jazz In Borgo – Ferrazzano, Winter Teata – Pescara, Notte Bianca – Comacchio) and Hungary (Budapest Jazz Club).
INSTRUCTIONS FOR AUDIENCE MEMBERS – PLEASE READ
Welcome back to the Vortex. Please note that we’ve implemented the following changes to our systems to make the club as Covid-safe as we can:
- Please buy tickets in advance as there will be no door sales. There will be twenty tickets only onsale for each gig.
- If you want to sit together as a household/bubble we would ask that one person books all the tickets for the group. If you book separately you will be seated separately. Please do not book together with anyone outside your household
- We ask you not to attend gigs if you have or think you may have any Covid-19 symptoms.
- We will ask you on entry to provide contact details for NHS Test and Trace. If possible please bring your own pen to write down the details.
- There will be no standing at gigs. Everyone who books a ticket will be allocated a seat, but we cannot guarantee that you will have a table.
- Orders for drinks and snacks will be taken at tables. We are sorry but for the time being no hot drinks will be available.
- We ask that everyone wears a mask when moving around inside the building.
- We are cashless – we accept contactless payments only.
- We ask everyone to observe social distancing at all times. One metre social distancing will operate in the club space, with mitigations as detailed in the risk assessment which is available on the website.
- Automatic hand sanitiser stations are provided at various places within the building and we encourage regular use of hand sanitiser.